Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to March 2013

England and Wales

Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin

Published 22 August 2013 Contents

Contents...................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 2

Executive summary ..................................................................................................... 4

Out of court disposals .............................................................................................. 5 Court proceedings and remand ................................................................................ 6 Offenders found guilty .............................................................................................. 7 Sentencing .................................................................................................................. 8 Gender comparisons ................................................................................................. 10 Offending histories ................................................................................................... 10

Explanatory notes ..................................................................................................... 17

Symbols and conventions ....................................................................................... 17 Guidance on tables and supplementary volumes .................................................. 17

Contacts .................................................................................................................... 17 Introduction

This report presents the key statistics on activity in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) for England and Wales. It provides information for the latest twelve months (April 2012 to March 2013) with accompanying commentary, analysis and presentation of longer term trends.

The data provides users with information about proven offending and its outcomes in England and Wales. The contents of this bulletin will be of interest to government policy makers in the development of policy and their subsequent monitoring and evaluation. Others will be interested in the way different crimes are dealt with in the CJS. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with different sources covering activity in the CJS – in particular, numbers of crimes recorded by the police, often the starting point for crimes dealt with by other CJS agencies.

The information in this publication for the first quarter of 2013 in relation to court proceedings and outcomes is provisional.

A technical document titled “A Guide to Criminal Justice Statistics” is available alongside this bulletin, which provides users with detailed information on the concepts and methods used in compiling this bulletin, including the quality of the data, along with guidance on statistical revisions and forthcoming changes. A copy of the technical document can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-march-2013

Remands

The remand status at magistrates’ courts in previous editions of this publication have been estimated, because they were either based on incomplete returns, or because of problems in the way central systems interfaced with the Libra case management system to identify the remand status.

MoJ statisticians have resolved as far as is possible the data problems with the remand status at magistrates’ courts, and have published revised estimates for the 12 months ending March 2011 up to the 12 months ending March 2013 within the Chapter 3 tables. Revised remands tables for calendar years 2011 and 2012 have also been published alongside this bulletin, specifically updating the information on remand status at magistrates’ courts.

A description of the methodology of the fix which has been applied to estimate remand status at magistrates’ courts is providing in the technical document.

Implementation of changes to offence classifications

In July 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) re-designed the classifications used to present police recorded crime statistics, following recommendations from the National Statistician’s review of Crime Statistics in England and Wales in June 2011. The changes to classifications were implemented in the ONS statistical bulletin ‘Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2013’, published in July 2013.

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1 Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales and recorded crime data are published together in statistical bulletins by the Office for National Statistics. alongside a methodological note providing more detail on the changes and their impact on time-series for key measures. No change has been made to the coverage of offences in the police recorded crime series, and most changes are presentational, with some offences moving between classifications or being separated out of existing groupings.

In this publication, the Executive Summary statistical tables which providing offence group breakdowns have been presented on both the old and new classification bases, and Chapter 6 (offences) has been adapted to match the new classification.

**Interpretation**

This publication presents information for the latest 12 month period (the twelve months ending March 2013) alongside the same rolling 12 month periods ending March for the previous ten years. The comparison of 12 rolling month periods has the advantage over reporting on shorter timeframes – for example, covering only the latest quarter – of avoiding misinterpretation of short-term fluctuations caused by seasonality (for example, reduced court volumes every December when many of the courts are closed over the Christmas period), and enables the presentation of longer-term trends across comparable reporting periods.

In this publication:

- the “latest year” refers to the 12 months ending March 2013;
- the “previous year” refers to the 12 months ending March 2012; and
- any other reference period will be referred to explicitly.

Further guidance on the symbols and conventions used in the bulletin is provided in the ‘Explanatory notes’ section.

If you have any feedback, questions or requests for further information about this statistical bulletin, please direct them to the appropriate contact given at the end of this report.

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2 ‘Presentational changes to National Statistics on police recorded crime in England and Wales’, Office for National Statistics Methodology Note, 18 July 2013

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/crime-statistics-methodology/presentational-changes-on-police-recorded-crime-in-england-and-wales.pdf Executive summary

This summary explains how the various criminal justice agencies deal with an defendant once identified, presents the recent trends on how the Criminal Justice System (CJS) response to offending is changing, and identifies factors that may be causing the changes, where identifiable.

Once a suspect has been identified by the police, charged and arrested, the police work with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in deciding the most appropriate course of action in each case. The decision can be made to not take the offender to court, through a number of available “out-of-court disposals”, or to proceed against the defendant at a magistrates’ court.

The total number of individuals, which includes people and companies, who have been dealt with formally by the CJS in England and Wales, in either of these ways, has been declining since the 12 months ending March 2006, with 1.82 million individuals dealt with in the latest year. Police recorded crime peaked in 2003/04, and recorded offences are now lower than at any time over the past decade.

Figure 1: Individuals(^3) dealt with formally by the CJS, March 2003 to March 2013

The number of individuals dealt with formally by the CJS for the first time has also fallen since the 12 months ending March 2007 – with 171,100 ‘first time entrants’ to the CJS in the latest year, a decline of 46% since 2007. The reduction has been much sharper for juveniles (74% over the same period), reflecting both a decreasing number of juvenile offenders reprimanded or issued with a warning and the decreasing numbers of juveniles found guilty in all courts. However, per head of population, the rate of juvenile first time entrants remains higher than for adults.

(^3) Includes people and companies. Note also that a single individual can be counted more than once in a given year if they are dealt with by the Criminal Justice System on more than one separate occasion. Criminal offences can be divided into three main offence groups:

- **Indictable** proceedings, which cover the more serious offences such as violent and sexual offences and robbery, and when heard in court tend to be passed on to the Crown Court, either for sentencing or for a full trial with a judge and jury. This group includes both ‘indictable only’ offences, which can only be tried on indictment in the Crown Court by a judge and jury, and ‘triable-either-way’ offences which are triable either summarily in a magistrate’s court or on indictment in the Crown Court;

- Summary proceedings, which cover less serious offences, are almost always handled entirely in the magistrates’ courts when dealt with in court, with the majority completed at the first hearing. They are split into two categories:

  - **Summary non-motoring** proceedings, such as TV license evasion and less serious criminal damage; and
  - **Summary motoring** proceedings, such as speeding and driving whilst disqualified.

**Out of court disposals**

Until the introduction of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) in 2004 and formal warnings for possession of cannabis in 2005, the only out of court disposal available to police was a caution. Since the 12 months ending March 2003, the use of out of court disposals increased rapidly and peaked in the 12 months ending March 2008, before decreasing year on year – with 363,800 individuals issued an out of court disposal in the latest year. The increase to the 12 months ending March 2008 coincided with the introduction in 2001 of a target to increase offences brought to justice, and the decrease coincided with the replacement in April 2008 of the target with one placing more emphasis on bringing serious crimes to justice. The latter target was subsequently removed in May 2010.

**Figure 2: Out of court disposals issued, by disposal, March 2003 to March 2013** The use of out of court disposals decreased by 14% in the latest year, with each type of disposal used less than in the previous year. The biggest decreases were in the use of PNDs (101,100 issued compared with 122,800 in the previous year) and cautions for indictable offences (101,300 issued compared with 119,600 in the previous year).

**Court proceedings and remand**

All criminal cases proceeding to court in England and Wales start in a magistrates’ court. Since the 12 months ending March 2004, the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ court has declined almost year on year – down to 1.46 million defendants in the latest period – driven chiefly by decreases in summary motoring offences brought before magistrates. The biggest decreases were for vehicle insurance offences, with large decreases also for driving licence related offences, speed limit offences, and driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs.

Proceedings decreased by 7% in the latest year, with decreases seen in every indictable and summary offence group. Over half the decrease occurred in the indictable offence category – predominantly for violence against the person, theft and handling stolen goods, and ‘other indictable’ offences.

**Figure 3: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts, by offence group, March 2003 to March 2013**

Around 6% of all defendants proceeded against are passed on to the Crown Court for trial, 96% of which are accused of indictable offences. The number of defendants appearing in the Crown Court for trial increased during the late ‘00s as a result of a greater proportion of cases being committed and sent for trial. However, since the 12 months ending March 2011, this trend has reversed, with the volume of defendants tried at the Crown Court on the decline – with 83,500 defendants tried at the Crown Court in the latest year, compared with 106,300 in the 12 months ending March 2011. Police remands are the decisions made by a police officer on whether to detain or bail a defendant pending their first appearance in court or send a notice summoning them to appear in court. In the latest year, there were 1.56 million defendants directed by the police to appear at magistrates’ courts (including here those who failed to appear). The proportion of defendants remanded in custody by the police increased between the 12 months ending March 2008 and the 12 months ending March 2012, from 6% to 12% – driven mainly by the rise in defendants remanded in custody for indictable offences – but has decreased back to 11% in the latest year. In addition, in the latest year, 30% were granted bail by the police the remaining 59% directed to appear via summonses.

Court remands are the court’s decision on whether a defendant charged with a criminal offence should be held in custody or released on bail during the period up to and including the trial, or while awaiting sentence. In the latest year, it was estimated that bail was granted to 22% of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts, just over 3% were remanded in custody, just under 2% had an unknown remand status, and the remaining 73% had their case concluded at the magistrates’ courts without being remanded.

Defendants are more likely to be remanded in custody for indictable offences than summary offences – as a result, the proportion of defendants remanded in custody at the Crown Court is higher than at magistrates’ courts. In the latest year, the proportion of defendants tried at the Crown Court who were remanded in custody was 34%, with a further 48% remanded on bail. Of those remanded in custody at the Crown Court, 74% were convicted and sentenced to immediate custody.

Failure to appear (FTA) warrants are issued by courts when defendants do not attend court on a specified date, having either been summonsed or granted bail at an earlier stage. In the latest year, police forces in England and Wales received a total of 70,400 FTA warrants from the courts, of which 88% were executed. The overall number of FTA warrants outstanding – those that have been issued to a police force but have not been executed or withdrawn – has been steadily decreasing over recent years, from 23,000 at the end of March 2009 to 16,200 at the end of March 2013. This decrease coincides with declining numbers of defendants who failed to appear to bail or summons at magistrates’ courts over recent years.

**Offenders found guilty**

Trends in the number of offenders convicted – that is, defendants who plead or are found guilty – and sentenced at all courts are driven by two factors, namely the number of individuals dealt with through the courts (the trend in prosecutions) and the proportion of those individuals who are found guilty. Conviction ratios are calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings, and give a measure of the relative number of defendants who are found guilty within a given year when compared with the number who are prosecuted that year.

Since the 12 months ending March 2004, convictions have declined almost year on year, in line with declining numbers of individuals proceeded against. However, the decline in convictions has not been as steep as for proceedings, as a greater proportion of proceedings have resulted in convictions (reflected in the increasing conviction ratio over the period – from 74% in the 12 months ending March 2003 to 83% in the latest year). The complex nature of the CJS means there are a number of possible factors contributing to this change – for example, changes in guilty plea rates, the mix of cases handled in and out of court, impacts of operational changes, and so on – and it is difficult to separately identify the impacts of different factors.

**Figure 4: Prosecutions at magistrates’ courts and convictions at all courts, with conviction ratio, March 2003 to March 2013**

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**Sentencing**

Fines are the most common sentence given to offenders at all courts, accounting for 68% of offenders sentenced in the latest year, due in the main to the large volumes of fines issued for summary offences at the magistrates’ court. Offenders sentenced for summary offences accounted for 76% of all sentences issued in the latest year, of which 99% were dealt with entirely in the magistrates’ courts, and 84% issued fines.

A different distribution of sentences is observed for indictable offences. In the latest year, 27% of offenders sentenced for indictable offences were sentenced to immediate custody (that is, to prison or other form of secure detention), 26% to community sentences, 18% to a fine, and 10% to a Suspended Sentence Order (SSO). Around a quarter of offenders sentenced for indictable offences were sentenced at the Crown Court – of these, 58% received an immediate custodial sentence, reflecting the fact that the most serious offences are likely to be tried on indictment in the Crown Court by a judge and jury.

Overall, the way in which offenders found guilty have been sentenced has changed over the last decade. The use of SSOs rose steadily between the 12 months ending March 2005 and March 2011 – as a result of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which made SSOs more readily available – but has decreased since, in line with the decreasing volume of offenders being sentenced in court. The number of offenders given community sentences remained stable until the 12 months ending March 2011, after which large decrease in volumes have been observed – a decrease of 26% over the last two years. Between the 12 months ending March 2007 and March 2012, the immediate custody rate (the proportion of all persons sentenced receiving immediate custody) increased – up from 6.7% to 8.1% – resulting in numbers sent to prison or other forms of secure detention increasing despite the overall fall in offenders sentenced. In the latest year however, the immediate custody rate dropped back down to 7.9%.

The average length of custodial sentences has increased over the last decade – up to 14.7 months in the latest year, compared with 12.7 months in the 12 months ending March 2003. The increase has been driven mainly by changes in the case mix of people getting custodial sentences, with summary offences increasingly dealt with through other sentence types, and longer sentences being given for indictable offences. Further, legislative changes have made sentence lengths longer for certain offences – for example, a third domestic burglary.

The introduction of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (CJIA) in 2008 restricted the use of Indeterminate sentences for Public Protection (IPPs). This has coincided with an increase in long determinate sentences (defined as for 10 years or more), which may also have contributed to the increase in the average length of custodial sentences since 2008.

Further, legislative changes have made sentence lengths longer for certain offences – for example, the powers to sentence offenders convicted of a third domestic burglary offence to a mandatory minimum sentence of three years custody, as introduced by the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 for offences committed after 30th November 1999, have been used increasingly in the last decade.

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act, which was passed on 3rd December 2012, abolished IPPs and replaced them with new Extended Determinate Sentences (EDS). Further, it legislated that adult offenders will receive mandatory life sentences for a second serious sexual or violent offence. However, both of these measures could potentially impact upon ACSL in future. Gender comparisons

Males account for seven out of every ten individuals proceeded against in court, but nine out of every ten offenders sentenced to immediate custody.

Figure 6: Persons proceeded against at magistrates’ courts, by age and gender, 12 months ending March 2013

The difference in sentence outcomes reflects the different types of offences being committed by males and females, with males more frequently proceeded against for the more serious indictable offences.

The gender split for defendant dealt with at court has been changing over the last decade, with the number of prosecutions of males decreasing while prosecutions of females have remained broadly stable. In the latest year, the number of prosecutions of males decreased by 9%, compared to a 3% decrease for females.

The differences in the trends by gender relate to summary non-motoring offences, and in particular large increases in prosecutions for TV licence evasion offences for females. The change in the gender profile of defendants has influenced the trends in sentencing, where the number of male offenders sentenced is falling at a faster rate than the number of female offenders sentenced.

Offending histories

While the number of new entrants to the criminal justice system has fallen recently, the number and proportion of convicted offenders who have long criminal records has been increasing over the last 10 years.

During the latest year, just over 100 thousand offenders convicted of an indictable offence had 15 or more previous convictions or cautions at the time. This equates to over a third of all convicted offenders in the year and is up from a fifth in the 12 months ending March 2003 (70 thousand offenders). Analysis has also shown that the majority of these prolific offenders already have in excess of 15 previous offences on their record while the numbers progressing from their 15th to their 16th offence is relatively unchanged each year. In addition, around half of those with 15 or more previous sanctions were convicted of offences related to theft and handling stolen goods – by comparison, only 22% of those with no previous convictions or cautions were convicted for the same offence types. In contrast, sexual offences and offences relating to fraud and forgery accounted for 8% and 12% of convictions for those offenders with no previous history respectively, but only 1% and 2% of convictions for those offenders with 15 or more previous.

As might be expected, given that sentencing decisions will typically take into account previous offending history, the proportion of offenders receiving immediate custody for an indictable offence is higher for those groups of offenders with longer criminal histories. In the latest year, 38% of adults with 15 or more previous received a custodial sentence compared to 12% for adults with no previous history of offending. The equivalent figures for juveniles were 40% and 2% respectively.

The most common disposal given in the latest year for offenders committing an indictable offence with no previous criminal history was a caution, with this accounting for 78% of juveniles in this group and 60% of adults. Figure 7: Flows through the Criminal Justice System, 12 months ending March 2013

Notifiable

Recorded Crime 3,902,200

Offences detected

Crown Prosecution Service receive papers from the police for prosecution

CPS discontinue the case or case unable to proceed

CPS proceed with charge

Notifiable and non-notifiable principal offences (\* all offences)

Cautions 193,522 101,104 2,189,885

Penalty Notices for Disorder 101,304

Defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts 1,455,786 2,389,885 (\*)

Guilty Plea 76,868

Not Guilty Plea 9,585

Fined 1,542,739 (\*)

Custody 1,443

Other disposal 172

Fined Custody 810,900

Custody Other 45,611

Suspended 23,331

Community sentence 126,617

Other 107,529

Number sentenced by magistrates 1,113,368

Number found guilty by magistrates 1,114,100 1,542,739 (\*)

Number committed for sentence at Crown Court 18,960

Number sentenced by the Crown Court 96,463

Guilty Plea 76,868

Not Guilty Plea 5,585

Total sentenced to custody 94,250

Average custodial sentence length 14.7 months

Total sentenced to be served in the community 181,739

Prison receptions 94,250

Probation starts 144,424

Defendants tried at the Crown Court in a given year may have been committed for trial by a magistrate in a previous year.

Includes community sentences and suspended sentence orders.

Receptions for offenders given a custodial sentence (figures include fine defaulters).

Total number of all offences in comparison with the total number of defendants on a principal offence basis.

(1) Covers all indictable offences, including triable either way, plus a few closely associated summary offences.

(2) Defendants tried at the Crown Court in a given year may have been committed for trial by a magistrate in a previous year.

(3) Includes community sentences and suspended sentence orders.

(4) Receptions for offenders given a custodial sentence (figures include fine defaulters).

(5) Offenders starting Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order supervision by the Probation Service.

- Total number of all offences in comparison with the total number of defendants on a principal offence basis.

### Table Q1.1 - Individuals entering the Criminal Justice System, 12 months ending March 2009 to 12 months ending March 2013

| England and Wales | 12 months ending | Percentage change 12 months ending March 2012 to March 2013 | |-------------------|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | | March 2009 | March 2010 | March 2011 | March 2012 | March 2013 | | | Out of court disposals | 601,128 | 519,330 | 459,037 | 424,620 | 363,839 | -14.3% | | Cannabis warnings | 104,027 | 84,529 | 79,417 | 77,933 | 69,213 | -11.2% | | Penalty Notices for Disorder(1) | 174,959 | 161,575 | 138,266 | 122,805 | 101,104 | -17.7% | | Cautions | 322,142 | 273,226 | 241,354 | 223,882 | 193,522 | -13.6% | | Defendants proceeded against | 1,639,639 | 1,690,980 | 1,644,191 | 1,557,046 | 1,455,786 | -6.5% | | Indictable offences(2) | 402,146 | 418,910 | 438,540 | 416,911 | 360,843 | -13.4% | | Summary offences | 1,237,493 | 1,272,070 | 1,205,651 | 1,140,135 | 1,094,943 | -4.0% | | Offenders convicted | 1,366,088 | 1,400,296 | 1,362,308 | 1,296,150 | 1,201,753 | -7.3% | | Indictable offences | 320,990 | 331,170 | 353,317 | 339,795 | 295,814 | -12.9% | | Summary offences | 1,045,098 | 1,069,126 | 1,008,991 | 956,355 | 905,939 | -5.3% | | Prison receptions(3) | 100,100 | 93,273 | 90,783 | 89,834 | 84,898 | -5.5% | | Probation starts(4) | 168,451 | 167,797 | 166,219 | 158,901 | 144,424 | -9.1% |

(1) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. (2) Indictable offences include those triable-either-way. (3) Receptions for offenders given a custodial sentence (includes fine defaulters). (4) Offenders starting Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order supervision by the Probation Service.

### Table Q1.2 - Offenders sentenced by principal sentence, 12 months ending March 2009 to 12 months ending March 2013

| England and Wales | 12 months ending | Percentage change 12 months ending March 2012 to March 2013 | |-------------------|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | | March 2009 | March 2010 | March 2011 | March 2012 | March 2013 | | | Total offenders sentenced(2) | 1,365,078 | 1,398,217 | 1,360,683 | 1,294,816 | 1,199,841 | -7.3% | | Total persons sentenced(2) | 1,356,831 | 1,389,694 | 1,352,847 | 1,288,088 | 1,193,459 | -7.3% | | Immediate custody (persons) | 100,174 | 99,745 | 102,837 | 105,452 | 94,350 | -10.5% | | Suspended sentence (persons) | 41,472 | 45,913 | 48,818 | 47,643 | 42,869 | -10.0% | | Community sentence (persons) | 193,566 | 190,817 | 188,235 | 172,145 | 138,870 | -19.3% | | Fines (all offenders) | 897,656 | 938,500 | 888,596 | 845,789 | 812,515 | -3.9% | | Other disposals (all offenders) | 132,210 | 123,242 | 132,197 | 123,787 | 111,237 | -10.1% | | Average custodial sentence length (months)(3) | 13.5 | 13.7 | 13.9 | 14.3 | 14.7 | 2.8% |

(1) The time lag between conviction and sentencing for cases committed for sentence at Crown Court can result in small differences between total offenders convicted and sentenced within reporting years. (2) For sentences of immediate custody, suspended sentence and community sentence, ‘persons’ is the same as ‘offenders’, as ‘others’ (such as companies or public bodies) cannot receive these sentences. (3) Average custodial sentence length excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (4) May not sum to 100 per cent as all rates are not calculated on the same basis. Table Q1.3 - Recorded crime and notifiable offence outcomes, 12 months ending March 2009 to 12 months ending March 2013

| Offence Group | 12 months ending | Recorded crime(1) | Cannabis warnings | Penalty Notices for Disorder(2) | Cautions | Proceedings | Convictions | |--------------------------------|------------------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------------------|----------|-------------|-------------| | | March 2009 | March 2010 | March 2011 | March 2012 | March 2013 | March 2012 to March 2013 | | Violence against the person | March 2012 | 626,720 | 23,405 | 94,054 | 303,320 | 207,758 | | | March 2013 | 601,134 | 16,085 | 83,928 | 272,136 | 184,492 | | Sexual offences | March 2012 | 52,760 | - | 1,727 | 32,314 | 19,778 | | | March 2013 | 53,540 | - | 1,745 | 28,666 | 19,161 | | Burglary | March 2012 | 501,048 | - | 3,693 | 46,200 | 32,601 | | | March 2013 | 459,796 | - | 2,629 | 39,589 | 28,532 | | Robbery | March 2012 | 74,688 | - | 248 | 19,768 | 12,850 | | | March 2013 | 65,156 | - | 176 | 16,043 | 10,989 | | Theft and handling stolen goods| March 2012 | 1,522,149 | 33,622 | 50,109 | 221,242 | 188,543 | | | March 2013 | 1,398,492 | 29,819 | 39,700 | 209,090 | 179,317 | | Fraud and forgery(2) | March 2012 | - | - | 6,235 | 60,520 | 45,687 | | | March 2013 | - | - | 5,342 | 56,074 | 40,385 | | Criminal damage | March 2012 | 626,008 | 4,616 | 27,218 | 73,504 | 58,445 | | | March 2013 | 529,719 | 3,313 | 23,287 | 67,820 | 53,228 | | Drug offences | March 2012 | 229,099 | 77,933 | 16,272 | 45,667 | 107,844 | | | March 2013 | 208,017 | 69,213 | 15,486 | 41,542 | 99,227 | | Other notifiable offences | March 2012 | 209,758 | - | 6,372 | 91,972 | 72,869 | | | March 2013 | 186,466 | - | 5,582 | 85,845 | 60,165 | | All Notifiable Offences | March 2012 | 3,842,230 | 77,933 | 77,915 | 235,323 | 956,684 | | | March 2013 | 3,502,320 | 69,213 | 61,703 | 203,931 | 874,490 |

(1) Excluding fraud offences. For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud. Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.

(2) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over.

(3) Includes out of court disposals, convictions and offences taken into consideration.

Table Q1.4(i) - Recorded crime and notifiable offence outcomes by offence group, 12 months ending March 2012 and 12 months ending March 2013

| Offence Group | 12 months ending | Recorded crime(1) | Cannabis warnings | Penalty Notices for Disorder(2) | Cautions | Proceedings | Convictions | |--------------------------------|------------------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------------------|----------|-------------|-------------| | | March 2012 | March 2013 | March 2012 | March 2013 | March 2013 | March 2012 to March 2013 | | Violence against the person | March 2012 | 626,720 | 23,405 | 94,054 | 303,320 | 207,758 | | | March 2013 | 601,134 | 16,085 | 83,928 | 272,136 | 184,492 | | Sexual offences | March 2012 | 52,760 | - | 1,727 | 32,314 | 19,778 | | | March 2013 | 53,540 | - | 1,745 | 28,666 | 19,161 | | Burglary | March 2012 | 501,048 | - | 3,693 | 46,200 | 32,601 | | | March 2013 | 459,796 | - | 2,629 | 39,589 | 28,532 | | Robbery | March 2012 | 74,688 | - | 248 | 19,768 | 12,850 | | | March 2013 | 65,156 | - | 176 | 16,043 | 10,989 | | Theft and handling stolen goods| March 2012 | 1,522,149 | 33,622 | 50,109 | 221,242 | 188,543 | | | March 2013 | 1,398,492 | 29,819 | 39,700 | 209,090 | 179,317 | | Fraud and forgery(2) | March 2012 | - | - | 6,235 | 60,520 | 45,687 | | | March 2013 | - | - | 5,342 | 56,074 | 40,385 | | Criminal damage | March 2012 | 626,008 | 4,616 | 27,218 | 73,504 | 58,445 | | | March 2013 | 529,719 | 3,313 | 23,287 | 67,820 | 53,228 | | Drug offences | March 2012 | 229,099 | 77,933 | 16,272 | 45,667 | 107,844 | | | March 2013 | 208,017 | 69,213 | 15,486 | 41,542 | 99,227 | | Other notifiable offences | March 2012 | 209,758 | - | 6,372 | 91,972 | 72,869 | | | March 2013 | 186,466 | - | 5,582 | 85,845 | 60,165 | | All Notifiable Offences | March 2012 | 3,842,230 | 77,933 | 77,915 | 235,323 | 956,684 | | | March 2013 | 3,502,320 | 69,213 | 61,703 | 203,931 | 874,490 |

(1) Excluding fraud offences. For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud. Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.

(2) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. Table Q1.5 - Summary of criminal justice statistics, 12 months ending March 2003 to 12 months ending March 2013

| England and Wales | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |-------------------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------| | Crime measured by Crime Survey for England and Wales(1) | 12,260 | 11,642 | 10,679 | 10,715 | 11,060 | 10,002 | 10,446 | 9,503 | 9,623 | 9,500 | 8,643 | | Notifiable offences | 5,662 | 5,711 | 5,374 | 5,338 | 5,240 | 4,807 | 4,550 | 4,195 | 4,012 | 3,842 | 3,502 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 1,925 | 2,057 | 1,955 | 1,899 | 1,746 | 1,714 | 1,640 | 1,691 | 1,664 | 1,557 | 1,456 | | Number of offenders cautioned(5) | 224 | 250 | 256 | 314 | 359 | 365 | 322 | 273 | 241 | 120 | 101 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 6 | 26 | 42 | 44 | 49 | 53 | 50 | 42 | - | - | - | | Number of offenders issued Penalty Notices for Disorder | 145 | 154 | 158 | 191 | 206 | 200 | 178 | 150 | 132 | 120 | 101 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | Number of offences detected by means of cannabis warnings (all indictable)(3) | 0 | 63 | 80 | 102 | 104 | 85 | 79 | 78 | 69 | - | - | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 517 | 502 | 433 | 427 | 401 | 401 | 402 | 419 | 439 | 417 | 361 | | Defendants found guilty at magistrates’ courts | 1,364 | 1,481 | 1,451 | 1,433 | 1,344 | 1,234 | 1,321 | 1,277 | 1,217 | 1,134 | - | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 57 | 57 | 56 | 57 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | | Defendants sentenced at the Crown Court after summary conviction | 17 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 19 | | Defendants tried at the Crown Court | 79 | 80 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 84 | 91 | 99 | 98 | 99 | 84 | | Defendants found guilty at the Crown Court | 60 | 60 | 59 | 59 | 59 | 66 | 72 | 79 | 85 | 79 | 67 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 58 | 57 | 56 | 57 | 56 | 62 | 69 | 75 | 80 | 76 | 65 | | Total offenders found guilty at both courts | 1,425 | 1,541 | 1,510 | 1,493 | 1,404 | 1,340 | 1,366 | 1,400 | 1,362 | 1,296 | 1,202 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 339 | 334 | 336 | 313 | 302 | 314 | 321 | 331 | 353 | 340 | 296 | | Total offenders found guilty or cautioned(5) | 1,520 | 1,395 | -8.2% | 1,652 | 1,791 | 1,768 | 1,807 | 1,763 | 1,766 | 1,688 | 1,674 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 484 | 487 | 466 | 504 | 508 | 513 | 499 | 498 | 485 | 459 | 397 | | Total sentenced (offenders) | 1,423 | 1,539 | 1,509 | 1,491 | 1,403 | 1,408 | 1,365 | 1,398 | 1,361 | 1,295 | 1,200 | | of which for indictable offences(6) | 340 | 296 | -15.3% | 340 | 296 | -15.3% | 340 | 296 | -15.3% | 340 | 296 | | Sentence | Custody | 110 | 109 | 103 | 102 | 94 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 103 | 105 | | Suspended Sentence | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 37 | 41 | 41 | 46 | 49 | 48 | 43 | | Community Sentence | 192 | 194 | 201 | 204 | 190 | 195 | 194 | 191 | 188 | 172 | 139 | | Fine | 971 | 1,078 | 1,054 | 1,026 | 943 | 933 | 898 | 939 | 889 | 846 | 813 | | Other Sentences | 148 | 155 | 148 | 144 | 138 | 143 | 132 | 123 | 132 | 124 | 111 |

(1) The offenders dealt with outside of court and defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ court in a given year may not relate to the same cases measured by the Crime Survey for England and Wales (known until 1 April 2012 as the British Crime Survey) or those recorded to the police within the same year. The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates relate to crimes experienced in the 12 months prior to interview. Further, offenders found guilty in a given year may have been proceeded against in an earlier year.

(2) Not statistically significant, see Section 8 of the User Guide to Crime Statistics for England and Wales: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/databank/index.html?nscl=Crime+in+England+and+Wales

(3) Includes British Transport Police.

(4) Excluding fraud offences. For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud. Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.

(5) Cautions, written warnings and all fixed penalties for summary motoring offences are not covered in this volume but are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, ‘Motoring offences and breath tests’.

(6) Indictable offences include those triable-either-way. | Offence Group | 12 months ending | Cannabis warnings | Penalty Notices for Disorder(1) | Cautions | Proceedings | Convictions | Conviction Ratio (%) (2) | Proven Offender(3) | Sentenced(3) | Discharged | Fine | Community Sentence | Suspended Sentence | Otherwise dealt with | Custody | Custody Rate (%) (5) | Average Custodial Sentence Length (months)(6) | |---------------|------------------|------------------|-------------------------------|---------|-------------|-------------|------------------------|-----------------|-------------|------------|-----|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|---------|-------------------|------------------| | Violence against the person | Mar-12 | - | 15,185 | 58,011 | 41,671 | 71.8 | 56,956 | 41,381 | 1,740 | 2,299 | 13,375 | 8,129 | 1,232 | 14,616 | 35.3 | 18.9 | | Sexual offences | Mar-12 | - | 12,636 | 47,538 | 34,697 | 73.0 | 47,323 | 34,407 | 1,488 | 2,258 | 9,798 | 6,980 | 932 | 12,945 | 37.6 | 20.3 | | Burglary | Mar-12 | - | 1,497 | 9,095 | 5,488 | 60.7 | 6,996 | 5,471 | 88 | 107 | 1,413 | 477 | 117 | 3,209 | 59.8 | 59.7 | | Robbery | Mar-12 | - | 2,389 | 27,933 | 21,220 | 77.9 | 23,689 | 20,088 | 323 | 257 | 6,340 | 2,514 | 487 | 10,077 | 52.5 | 19.7 | | Theft and handling stolen goods | Mar-12 | - | 33,622 | 41,694 | 32,605 | 82.8 | 197,614 | 121,989 | 24,603 | 17,113 | 41,914 | 8,772 | 5,582 | 23,945 | 19.6 | 4.2 | | Fraud and forgery | Mar-12 | - | 5,412 | 23,172 | 18,686 | 80.6 | 24,098 | 18,573 | 2,039 | 2,551 | 6,013 | 3, | 114 | 4,893 | 61.1 | 36.9 | | Criminal damage | Mar-12 | - | 4,596 | 20,099 | 15,747 | 78.3 | 20,293 | 15,531 | 1,532 | 1,075 | 4,696 | 3,145 | 348 | 3,948 | 24.8 | 12.7 | | Drug offenders | Mar-12 | 77,933 | 16,272 | 42,002 | 66,800 | 40,977 | 91.3 | 179,183 | 60,443 | 8,583 | 22,029 | 12,490 | 4,445 | 2,280 | 9,809 | 16.2 | 30.3 | | Indictable motoring offences | Mar-12 | 69,213 | 15,486 | 38,191 | 62,476 | 56,933 | 91.1 | 179,823 | 56,341 | 9,528 | 20,000 | 10,933 | 4,230 | 2,300 | 8,770 | 15.6 | 29.0 | | Indictable offences(7) | Mar-12 | 77,933 | 49,894 | 119,578 | 416,911 | 339,795 | 81.5 | 587,200 | 338,005 | 42,385 | 98,378 | 98,066 | 34,219 | 17,857 | 87,161 | 25.8 | 16.8 | | Summary non-motoring | Mar-12 | - | 72,911 | 104,304 | 605,391 | 493,459 | 88.6 | 670,674 | 493,756 | 44,643 | 354,659 | 59,846 | 9,335 | 10,395 | 14,910 | 3.0 | 2.5 | | Summary motoring offences | Mar-12 | - | 58,799 | 92,240 | 505,952 | 453,814 | 80.2 | 604,933 | 453,984 | 40,314 | 333,326 | 50,256 | 8,595 | 8,236 | 13,385 | 2.9 | 2.6 | | Summary Offences | Mar-12 | - | 72,911 | 104,304 | 605,391 | 493,459 | 88.6 | 670,674 | 493,756 | 44,643 | 354,659 | 59,846 | 9,335 | 10,395 | 14,910 | 3.0 | 2.5 | | All Offences | Mar-12 | 77,933 | 122,805 | 223,882 | 1,397,046 | 1,299,150 | 82.2 | 1,725,770 | 1,294,136 | 93,236 | 846,769 | 172,146 | 47,041 | 30,561 | 109,462 | 8.2 | 34.3 |

(1) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. (2) Conviction ratio is calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings. (3) Defendants who have been proven to have committed an offence (includes convictions, cautions, cannabis warnings and Penalty Notices for Disorder). (4) Figures are based on defendants sentenced each year. Some of those sentenced may have been found guilty in a previous year so the number of offenders sentenced may exceed the number of guilty defendants. (5) Custody rate is calculated as the proportion of the total number of persons sentenced who are sentenced to immediate custody. (6) Average custodial sentence length excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (7) Indictable offenders include those tried either-way. Explanatory notes

The statistics in this bulletin relate to cases in the Crown and magistrates’ courts in England and Wales during 12 months ending March 2013. This bulletin subsumes a number of previous bulletins including Criminal Statistics: England & Wales, Quarterly Sentencing Statistics, and Young people aged 10-17 receiving their first reprimand, warning or conviction.

Symbols and conventions

The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin:

- = Nil

* = Not applicable .. = Not available (R) = Revised data (P) = Provisional data

Guidance on tables and supplementary volumes

This bulletin is supported by a range of Excel spreadsheet workbooks, presenting statistics for the latest rolling twelve month reference period, alongside back series for previous comparable rolling twelve month periods where applicable. These workbooks can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-march-2013

Contacts

Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:

Tel: 020 3334 3536 Email: newsdesk@justice.gsi.gov.uk

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Justice Statistics Analytical Services division of the Ministry of Justice:

Mike Elkins, Chief Statistician Ministry of Justice, 7th Floor, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ Email: statistics.enquiries@justice.gsi.gov.uk

General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be e-mailed to: statistics.enquiries@justice.gsi.gov.uk

General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from: www.statistics.gov.uk

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